


A Question Unasked

by Treon



Category: White Collar
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-22
Updated: 2013-10-22
Packaged: 2017-12-30 03:44:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1013684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treon/pseuds/Treon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Good partners are hard to come by</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Question Unasked

**Author's Note:**

> Written for round 1 of run-the-con for the prompt "rainy, lazy Sunday afternoon"

Neal was sitting by his kitchen table, heavy raindrops splattering against the patio door behind him.  It was not a good day to be out, as he had experience himself just a couple of hours ago.    
  
Peter expected him to be on call 24/7 for the FBI, Neal knew that, but this weekend he hadn't given Neal a moment's rest.  Saturday had been all one big stakeout, and it would have continued today, had Peter not decided he needed to get home early.  Neal silently thanked El.  
  
And so, with a few unplanned hours of free time on his hands, Neal had decided to update his artistic journal.  Mozzie had causally dismissed it as scrapbooking, but Neal didn't really have any scraps to book.  For all the knickknacks he'd pilfered over the years, from the day he had run away from home and turned his back on his former life he'd always lived with the knowledge that the next day he might find himself on the run again, with nothing to his name.  
  
He had arrived on the island with nothing more than the clothing on his back, and he had left with pretty much the same.  He was even forced to leave his special-order hat behind.  The only thing he had left were his memories, and it were these memories which he now intended to put to paper, in the only way he knew how: as an artist.  He'd started this journal after his return from Cape Verde, a statement of sorts that this time he didn't intend to run.  He now had something in his possession which was worth keeping, more important than the expensive trinkets he'd collected in the past.    
  
Mozzie was lying on Neal's couch, wine glass in hand.  He'd been there when Neal had come home, drenched, and hadn't moved an inch since.  Neal could see Mozzie was mulling over something.  He was silent, staring off into the distance, and his wine glass was still full.     
  
Indeed, after an hour of silence, Mozzie finally spoke up.  "We should be honing our conning muscles."  
  
Neal, sketching out a beach, didn't even look up from his work.  "Our conning muscles are doing just fine, Moz."  
  
"Really?"  Mozzie swirled the wine in his glass, "When was the last time we did anything?"  
  
Neal supposed that it really depended on your definition of 'anything', but he didn't intend to get drawn into that argument.  "I'm on tenuous probation, and Peter's job is on the line too."  
  
Mozzie thought silently for a moment.  "Do you ever wonder what would have happened if the Suit hadn't taken your deal?"  
  
The question caused Neal to glance up.  Peter had asked him the same question, and he had so carefully avoided actually answering it.  He had thought about it many, many times.  "I'd have another 618 days to spend in a supermax," he gave his stock answer.  
  
"Yeah, besides that."  
  
"You'd have to finance your own wine collection."  Neal returned to his work.  
  
Mozzie was quickly losing patience with Neal's quips.  "We might have gotten away with the treasure."  
  
Neal snorted.  "*You* might have gotten away with it.  I'd still be locked up."  And that's assuming that they would have found the treasure.  If he'd still been in jail, he wouldn't have been chasing Kate, or the music box.      
  
Mozzie thought that one over.  "Have you ever thought what would have happened if I hadn't offered you to be my partner?"  
  
That wasn't exactly the way Neal remembered it.  "You mean, if I had decided to turn down your deal?"  
  
Mozzie waves a hand vaguely.  Potato, potahto.  
  
Where would he be now if he hadn't met Mozzie?  If Mozzie hadn't decided he was good partner material?  He'd have never met Kate, for one.  He'd probably have never moved past the hustle, would still be running scams with people like Keller and Wilkes.  He might have avoided prison, but most probably, he'd be dead by now.  And barring Ellen, if she'd have heard of it, there would have been nobody to care.  
  
Neal looked at Mozzie, who was very decidedly staring at the ceiling, then cleared his throat.  "No.. I haven't."  
  
Mozzie sniffed and took an experimental sip of his wine.  "Neither did I."


End file.
